William de Braose, 2nd Baron Braose
Encyclopedia
William de Braose, was the second Baron Braose
, as well as Lord of Gower and Lord of Bramber
. He was held as a hostage after being captured in 1264 during the Second Barons' War
and records of some of his childhood expenses survive from his time as a hostage. He first entered royal service in 1286 and, in 1291, he succeeded his father as baron. He continued in royal military service, serving in Scotland as well as in Wales. Protracted disputes over his lands embroiled him throughout his life and at the end of his life helped spark a revolt against King Edward II of England
's favourites, the Despensers. He married twice, and his heirs were his daughters Aline and Joan.
and his first wife, Aline, daughter of Thomas de Multon. He was likely born around 1260, as his age was given as about 46 in 1307. Other events prove that he was born prior to 1264, as he was captured in that year. This came about during the Second Barons' War
(1264–1267) during the reign of King Henry III of England
, as the elder Braose had sided with the king during Simon de Montfort
's rebellion. The younger Braose was a hostage in the custody of Montfort's wife, Eleanor. Her household accounts include expenses related to the younger William's care.
Sometime around 1285, Braose confirmed grants of land by his ancestors to the religious house of Sele Priory
. In 1286 Braose was in the king's service, for unspecified duties overseas. It is possible that these included accompanying the king, Edward I
, to Paris where Edward performed homage to the new French king, Philip IV
, for Edward's French lands. Braose played a significant role in King Edward's Welsh wars. In the winter of 1287–8 he commanded the force blockading Emlyn castle. His men also provided the escort for the transport of a huge siege engine from Dryslwyn to Emlyn. The arrival of the engine, with 480 great stones as ammunition, persuaded the defenders of the castle to surrender peaceably.
from 1291 until 1322 as Baron Braose. He was the second Baron Braose
, as well as Lord of Gower and Lord of Bramber
.
After his father's death, Braose continued to serve Edward. He contributed both money and personal military service in Edward's wars in Wales, Scotland, and France. He saw service in Gascony in 1294. In 1297 he took part in a military campaign in Flanders. As a reward for his service in Flanders, he received the wardship of John de Mowbray
, who Braose eventually married to his daughter Aline. From 1298 to 1306 he was involved in the Scottish wars, and was at the Battle of Falkirk
on 22 July 1298. Besides the military service, he served the king in 1301 by signing a letter from the leading barons of England to Pope Boniface VIII
in which the barons decried papal interference in the royal rights of England.
Braose captured the Welsh rebel William Cragh
in 1290, whose miraculous resurrection after being hanged was attributed to Thomas de Cantilupe. This led in 1307 to Braose giving testimony to papal commissioners inquiring into the events surrounding Cragh's hanging and whether or not it would support the canonization of Cantilupe.
It was most likely Braose who commissioned a condensed copy of Domesday Book
, now Public Record Office
manuscript E164/1. This copy has a marginal notation of "Br" next to the estates owned by Braose's ancestor, the first William de Braose
.
Braose was embroiled in a dispute over his lordship of Gower in 1299 when the Bishop of Llandaff
, John de Monmouth, brought a case against Braose to the king. Although the case was adjudicated in 1302, the resulting decision was overturned. In 1304 Braose secured King Edward's confirmation of earlier grants and charters granting Braose special rights and liberties in Gower. He managed this because he was serving the king in Scotland at the time, and thus had easy access to the king. In 1305, however, Braose miscalculated and insulted a royal judge, using "gross and contumelious words" to describe the royal official. This episode caused the case of Gower to be reopened in 1306, and Braose was only able to settle the issue again by the grant of rights to his men in Swansea and Gower.
In 1320 King Edward II of England
confiscated the lordship of Gower on the grounds that Braose had given it to his son-in-law Mowbray without royal permission. Over the preceding years Braose had promised Gower to a number of persons, including Humphrey de Bohun
, the Earl of Hereford
, Hugh Despenser the Younger, and Roger Mortimer of Wigmore. Mowbray then in late 1319 took custody of Gower to protect his rights. Despenser persuaded the king in 1320 to take Gower into royal hands in October, and was appointed keeper of the honour in November. The other lords in the Welsh Marches
resented this seizure, feeling that the king's excuse for it was not applicable. The seizure was one of the precipitating causes of the baronial rebellion that led to the exile of the Despensers in 1321. In 1322 Gower was given to the younger Despenser again, who then traded it for the honours of Usk
and Caerleon
. Braose was then induced to sue the new holder of Gower for the return of the barony in April 1324, which action suceeded in June 1324. Braose then promptly gave Gower to the elder Despenser
, returning the property to the Despenser family once more. The lordship of Gower eventually ended up in the hands of the Beauchamp family
, but it was not until the 1350s that the issue was decided.
Braose died not long before 1 May 1326 and his heirs were his daughters Joan and Aline, or as she's occasionally named Alicia. Aline, the elder daughter, married John de Mowbray and Richard de Peschale. Joan married James de Bohun and Richard Foliot. Mowbray received the lands of Gower and Bramber before Braose's death.
Braose was known as a man often in debt and as being unable to manage his cash flow well. Thomas Walsingham
stated in his chronicle that Braose was "very rich by descent but a dissipater of the property left to him".
Baron Braose
The title of Baron Braose was created twice in the Peerage of England. Records from the period spell the name Brewose.William de Braose is recorded to have sat in the Parliament of Apr.-May 1290,whereby he may be held to have been LORD BRAOSE....
, as well as Lord of Gower and Lord of Bramber
Lord of Bramber
The lord of Bramber was, in the medieval period, the tenant in chief of the honour of Bramber. Bramber is today a small village in Sussex, England, but the medieval honour consisted of a large portion of Sussex, including Bramber castle....
. He was held as a hostage after being captured in 1264 during the Second Barons' War
Second Barons' War
The Second Barons' War was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort, against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward , in the name of Henry III.-Causes:...
and records of some of his childhood expenses survive from his time as a hostage. He first entered royal service in 1286 and, in 1291, he succeeded his father as baron. He continued in royal military service, serving in Scotland as well as in Wales. Protracted disputes over his lands embroiled him throughout his life and at the end of his life helped spark a revolt against King Edward II of England
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
's favourites, the Despensers. He married twice, and his heirs were his daughters Aline and Joan.
Family and early life
Braose was the son of William de Braose, 1st Baron BraoseWilliam de Braose, 1st Baron Braose
William de Braose, was the first Baron Braose, as well as Lord of Gower and Lord of Bramber....
and his first wife, Aline, daughter of Thomas de Multon. He was likely born around 1260, as his age was given as about 46 in 1307. Other events prove that he was born prior to 1264, as he was captured in that year. This came about during the Second Barons' War
Second Barons' War
The Second Barons' War was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort, against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward , in the name of Henry III.-Causes:...
(1264–1267) during the reign of King Henry III of England
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
, as the elder Braose had sided with the king during Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
's rebellion. The younger Braose was a hostage in the custody of Montfort's wife, Eleanor. Her household accounts include expenses related to the younger William's care.
Sometime around 1285, Braose confirmed grants of land by his ancestors to the religious house of Sele Priory
Sele Priory
Sele Priory was a medieval monastic house in West Sussex, England.It was a Benedictine Order priory founded before 1126 and was dedicated to St Peter...
. In 1286 Braose was in the king's service, for unspecified duties overseas. It is possible that these included accompanying the king, Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, to Paris where Edward performed homage to the new French king, Philip IV
Philip IV of France
Philip the Fair was, as Philip IV, King of France from 1285 until his death. He was the husband of Joan I of Navarre, by virtue of which he was, as Philip I, King of Navarre and Count of Champagne from 1284 to 1305.-Youth:A member of the House of Capet, Philip was born at the Palace of...
, for Edward's French lands. Braose played a significant role in King Edward's Welsh wars. In the winter of 1287–8 he commanded the force blockading Emlyn castle. His men also provided the escort for the transport of a huge siege engine from Dryslwyn to Emlyn. The arrival of the engine, with 480 great stones as ammunition, persuaded the defenders of the castle to surrender peaceably.
Marcher Baron
The younger Braose succeeded his father before 1 March 1291, when he did homage for his father's lands. He received custody of his father's lands on 2 March 1291, which had been placed into the custody of Robert de Tibetot on 12 January 1291. He was summoned a number of times to ParliamentParliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
from 1291 until 1322 as Baron Braose. He was the second Baron Braose
Baron Braose
The title of Baron Braose was created twice in the Peerage of England. Records from the period spell the name Brewose.William de Braose is recorded to have sat in the Parliament of Apr.-May 1290,whereby he may be held to have been LORD BRAOSE....
, as well as Lord of Gower and Lord of Bramber
Lord of Bramber
The lord of Bramber was, in the medieval period, the tenant in chief of the honour of Bramber. Bramber is today a small village in Sussex, England, but the medieval honour consisted of a large portion of Sussex, including Bramber castle....
.
After his father's death, Braose continued to serve Edward. He contributed both money and personal military service in Edward's wars in Wales, Scotland, and France. He saw service in Gascony in 1294. In 1297 he took part in a military campaign in Flanders. As a reward for his service in Flanders, he received the wardship of John de Mowbray
John de Mowbray, 2nd Baron Mowbray
John de Mowbray, 2nd Baron Mowbray was the son of Roger de Mowbray, 1st Baron Mowbray.De Mowbray served in the Scottish wars of Edward I...
, who Braose eventually married to his daughter Aline. From 1298 to 1306 he was involved in the Scottish wars, and was at the Battle of Falkirk
Battle of Falkirk
The Battle of Falkirk, which took place on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence...
on 22 July 1298. Besides the military service, he served the king in 1301 by signing a letter from the leading barons of England to Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII
Pope Boniface VIII , born Benedetto Gaetani, was Pope of the Catholic Church from 1294 to 1303. Today, Boniface VIII is probably best remembered for his feuds with Dante, who placed him in the Eighth circle of Hell in his Divina Commedia, among the Simonists.- Biography :Gaetani was born in 1235 in...
in which the barons decried papal interference in the royal rights of England.
Braose captured the Welsh rebel William Cragh
William Cragh
William Cragh , or William the Scabby , or William ap Rhys, was a medieval Welsh warrior and supporter of Rhys ap Maredudd, lord of the lands of Ystrad Tywi, in his rebellion against King Edward I of England...
in 1290, whose miraculous resurrection after being hanged was attributed to Thomas de Cantilupe. This led in 1307 to Braose giving testimony to papal commissioners inquiring into the events surrounding Cragh's hanging and whether or not it would support the canonization of Cantilupe.
It was most likely Braose who commissioned a condensed copy of Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, now Public Record Office
Public Record Office
The Public Record Office of the United Kingdom is one of the three organisations that make up the National Archives...
manuscript E164/1. This copy has a marginal notation of "Br" next to the estates owned by Braose's ancestor, the first William de Braose
William de Braose, 1st Lord of Bramber
William de Braose , First Lord of Bramber was previously lord of Briouze, Normandy. He was granted lands in England by William the Conqueror soon after he and his followers had invaded and controlled Saxon England.- Norman victor :De Braose was given extensive lands in Sussex by 1073...
.
Braose was embroiled in a dispute over his lordship of Gower in 1299 when the Bishop of Llandaff
Bishop of Llandaff
The Bishop of Llandaff is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff.-Area of authority:The diocese covers most of the County of Glamorgan. The Bishop's seat is located in the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul , in the village of Llandaff, just north-west of the City of...
, John de Monmouth, brought a case against Braose to the king. Although the case was adjudicated in 1302, the resulting decision was overturned. In 1304 Braose secured King Edward's confirmation of earlier grants and charters granting Braose special rights and liberties in Gower. He managed this because he was serving the king in Scotland at the time, and thus had easy access to the king. In 1305, however, Braose miscalculated and insulted a royal judge, using "gross and contumelious words" to describe the royal official. This episode caused the case of Gower to be reopened in 1306, and Braose was only able to settle the issue again by the grant of rights to his men in Swansea and Gower.
In 1320 King Edward II of England
Edward II of England
Edward II , called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed by his wife Isabella in January 1327. He was the sixth Plantagenet king, in a line that began with the reign of Henry II...
confiscated the lordship of Gower on the grounds that Braose had given it to his son-in-law Mowbray without royal permission. Over the preceding years Braose had promised Gower to a number of persons, including Humphrey de Bohun
Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford
Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford was a member of a powerful Anglo-Norman family of the Welsh Marches and was one of the Ordainers who opposed Edward II's excesses.-Family background :...
, the Earl of Hereford
Earl of Hereford
The title of Earl of Hereford was created six times in the Peerage of England. See also Duke of Hereford, Viscount Hereford. Dates indicate the years the person held the title for.-Earls of Hereford, First Creation :*Swegen Godwinson...
, Hugh Despenser the Younger, and Roger Mortimer of Wigmore. Mowbray then in late 1319 took custody of Gower to protect his rights. Despenser persuaded the king in 1320 to take Gower into royal hands in October, and was appointed keeper of the honour in November. The other lords in the Welsh Marches
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
resented this seizure, feeling that the king's excuse for it was not applicable. The seizure was one of the precipitating causes of the baronial rebellion that led to the exile of the Despensers in 1321. In 1322 Gower was given to the younger Despenser again, who then traded it for the honours of Usk
Usk
Usk is a small town in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport.The River Usk flows through the town and is spanned by an ancient, arched stone bridge at the western entrance to the town. A castle above the town overlooks the ancient Anglo-Welsh border crossing - the river can...
and Caerleon
Caerleon
Caerleon is a suburban village and community, situated on the River Usk in the northern outskirts of the city of Newport, South Wales. Caerleon is a site of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta, and an Iron Age hill fort...
. Braose was then induced to sue the new holder of Gower for the return of the barony in April 1324, which action suceeded in June 1324. Braose then promptly gave Gower to the elder Despenser
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester
Hugh le Despenser , sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England....
, returning the property to the Despenser family once more. The lordship of Gower eventually ended up in the hands of the Beauchamp family
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the British Isles.-1088 creation:...
, but it was not until the 1350s that the issue was decided.
Marriage, death, and legacy
The name of Braose's first wife was Agnes, but her family is not known. His second wife was Elizabeth, the daughter and heiress of Raymund de Sully. He had two daughters with his first wife, but no children with his second wife, who outlived him. It appears that there was a son named William, who was the subject of a military summons from King Edward in 1311, but nothing further is mentioned of him after 1315. In 1316 a settlement of William the father's estates made no mention of this son making it likely that the son died before this date.Braose died not long before 1 May 1326 and his heirs were his daughters Joan and Aline, or as she's occasionally named Alicia. Aline, the elder daughter, married John de Mowbray and Richard de Peschale. Joan married James de Bohun and Richard Foliot. Mowbray received the lands of Gower and Bramber before Braose's death.
Braose was known as a man often in debt and as being unable to manage his cash flow well. Thomas Walsingham
Thomas Walsingham
- Life :He was probably educated at St Albans Abbey at St Albans, Hertfordshire, and at Oxford.He became a monk at St Albans, where he appears to have passed the whole of his monastic life, excepting a period from 1394 to 1396 during which he was prior of Wymondham Abbey, Norfolk, England, another...
stated in his chronicle that Braose was "very rich by descent but a dissipater of the property left to him".
External link
- National Archives Catalogue entry for the Domesday Breviate – probably commissioned by William de Braose